


A Series of Almost Dates

by delta_altair



Series: Trust Love - Fair Game Week 2020 [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Auroras, Coffee Shops, Day 2: date/domestic, Developing Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Language, date, fairgameweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_altair/pseuds/delta_altair
Summary: In which everyone in Atlas is convinced that Clover and Qrow are dating. Everyone except for Clover and Qrow, that is.~~~~Part 2 in a series that fills in the blanks of Qrow and Clover's relationship throughout Volume 7, culminating in a total re-work of Episode 12 and the epilogue that these characters deserved.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Trust Love - Fair Game Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665739
Comments: 42
Kudos: 172





	A Series of Almost Dates

Clover watched Qrow through the translucent, electric blue mission board as the huntsman drained his second cup of coffee in the last five minutes. Whenever they had a particularly early call to assign teams to missions for the day, Qrow would slam back at least two cups from the coffee maker in the corner of the briefing room.

But Clover knew that the briefing room coffee was disgusting, an awful combination of ashy and watery. He’d stopped drinking the stuff years ago. A few people still used the machine for the occasional cup, the last chance to get some before a mission. Marrow grabbed a mug from it a handful of times a month, and he had seen Ruby using it last week. For Qrow, however, it seemed like a true necessity on the early days. 

When Clover needed a boost he went to an independent shop a few blocks from the academy. It was quaint, and a little hard to find, but it was the best coffee in Atlas. Always fresh, perfectly roasted, and with a slight hint of caramel taste.

An idea formed in his brain.

The next day the teams had to be up early for assignments, Clover woke up half an hour earlier than usual. Dawn was barely peeking through the spaces between the towering spires of the academy as he strolled into his regular shop, Pour Twenty. He ordered two of his usual. 

"For someone special?" the barista asked as she handed the cups to Clover.

"A new friend," he answered, though the question weighed on his mind as he walked back to the briefing room.

Vine, Ren, and Weiss were already there, which was typical. Clover hung around the back counter as the rest of the Ace Ops filed in, followed shortly by Qrow. The man made a beeline for the coffee machine, until Clover stepped in his path.

"Good morning Qrow."

"It will be once I've had my coffee." The huntsman let out a huge, cat-like yawn, before sheepishly glancing at Clover. "Ah, sorry, that was rude. Just still not used to the early calls."

This struck Clover as strange, given Qrow's reputation as a legendary huntsman. But the journey from Haven had been difficult, and he had eight teenagers to look after, so Clover gave him the benefit of the doubt. 

"Don't worry about it, but here, take this," he said, holding the cup out to Qrow, who took it with a look of mixed confusion and interest.

"Uh, thanks. You didn't have to go to the trouble..."

"No trouble at all!" Clover beamed, "Besides, I felt bad, I know how awful the briefing room coffee is." 

Qrow took a sip, and Clover had to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress a grin at Qrow's sudden expression of awe.

"Holy shi- what is this?"

"Coffee," Clover said, unable to keep the laugh from his voice.

He took another sip, clearly savouring it. Clover clued into the fact that he was staring when red eyes locked with his own. 

"Well that's the best coffee I've had in my life. Thanks, Clover."

That was the first time Qrow had called him by his name, Clover realized. He also realized he liked the way Qrow said it.

"Would you like to go there?" he asked suddenly. "The coffee shop. Once our missions conclude tomorrow?" Their missions today would take them well into the evening, but tomorrow’s would hopefully be done by mid-afternoon.

Qrow hesitated, fingers drumming along his cup. Some kind of mental calculus was happening. Clover flashed a smile, hoping to tip the scales in his favour.

"Alright," Qrow finally said, "meet here after we debrief?"

"Works for me."

~~~~~~~

Ruby, having walked into the room shortly after Qrow, listened to the conversation as she walked to the coffee machine. Most mornings she was fine, but last night she had stayed up late playing video games with Yang. She had won a resounding victory over her sister, so it had been worth it, but a little boost would be nice. 

She caught the end of their conversation as she started the machine. A small smile formed on her face as she heard Clover invite Qrow out for coffee, and it grew when her uncle accepted. It had been a long time since Qrow had anyone to talk to who he also wasn't looking after. Ruby was glad he was making a new friend.

She had absolutely no idea what Clover was saying about this coffee being bad though, she thought as she dumped half a bowl of sugar into her cup. It tasted just fine as long as you had enough sugar!

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Later the next day, Clover and Qrow left the briefing room together and walked to Pour Twenty. More than half the seats in the shop were full; the sound of idle chatter filled the space. One employee was buzzing from table to table cleaning up after guests left, and another was behind the counter.

It was the same barista from yesterday, just finishing cleaning a coffee pot. Her eyes bounced between Clover and Qrow as they approached.

"Hey Clover, the usual?"

"Sure," he said, then turned to Qrow. "Same for you?"

"Actually I'll try one of your teas. Any suggestions?"

She helpfully pointed out a spiced tea, one of the items the shop was famous for. Qrow went to grab a seat near the windows while Clover waited for their orders.

The barista handed him two hot drinks, a sly smile on her face. "Someone special." It wasn't a question this time. 

Clover must have looked confused, because she continued, "You've been coming here since you started at the academy, but you've never brought anyone here before." 

It was a little obvious when it was put like that, wasn't it? 

He shrugged, picking up the drinks. "Maybe someone special, if I'm lucky."

Qrow was watching people pass by through the floor-to-ceiling windows when Clover came to their table. The huntsman had chosen a table for two tucked away in the back corner of the shop, away from most of the other patrons. 

Clover placed the glass cup filled with tea in front of Qrow as he sat down. "I'm a little surprised, I really thought you were a coffee only kind of guy."

Qrow chuckled at that, picking up the glass. "I'm actually a 'coffee-very-rarely' kind of guy, if you'd believe it."

"I won't lie, that is hard to believe when you drink at least two cups of it some mornings."

"It's a bit of a necessity at the moment, to be honest." 

He lifted the glass to take a sip. Clover mirrored the action, but faltered. Sunlight refracted through the glass, illuminating the deep red colour of the tea. It was the same vibrant color of Qrow’s eyes. Realizing he was staring, _again_ , Clover brought his mug up to his lips, hoping the pause in his motion hadn't looked awkward. 

If it had, Qrow didn't comment on it. "Hope the kids haven't been giving you too much trouble."

"Not at all." Clover smiled, "They're bright, work great within their teams, and excel in combat. The...energy they bring to missions might be unfamiliar for the rest of the Ops, but it's certainly not unwelcome."

"They've been through a lot." Qrow stared down at his tea. "But they're all strong. Real strong."

"And they're pretty fortunate to have you to guide them."

"Hm. They're good kids alright." Before Clover could press him on that deflection, Qrow had taken another sip of the tea and actually _sighed_. "That's really good."

"I told you this place was the best."

"Well thank you for bringing me here, I'll definitely be coming back. Might even try one of those twenty coffee flavours."

"I've had most," Clover smiled at him. "Could point you in the direction of the really good ones."

"I'd like that. And thanks for inviting me here. This place must be a nice treat after a long day."

Clover nodded, glancing down at his coffee. "It is. And don't worry about it. You deserve nice things too."

~~~~~~~

The missions today had been _so_ boring, just another supply run to Amity. There wasn't even a standoff with Robyn to make things interesting. Nora sighed, hanging her head back as she plodded down the small side street a few blocks from the academy. Ren had suggested they get dinner together, but she wasn't due to meet him for another twenty minutes. The waiting was interminable; she was going to pull her hair out from boredom if she stayed inside the drab, colourless halls of the academy any longer. The streets of Atlas weren't much better, but she at least had the chance to run into something interesting outside. 

Just as that thought passed, she happened to glance in the window of a quaint little coffee shop on the corner of the block. Huh, those guys kind of looked famili-

Oh.

That _was_ Qrow and Clover in the window. They chatted back and forth, Clover looking far more animated than his usual captain-y demeanour, and Qrow was actually smiling.

It was kinda cute, it almost looked like they were on a date.

Nora's jaw dropped.

Were they on a date?!

Qrow laughed at something Clover said, eyes crinkling around the edges. Nora didn’t think she'd ever seen him laugh like that.

Holy _crap_ they were absolutely on a date!

Everyone. Had. To. Know.

Nora turned on dime and sprinted back to the academy.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

The AceOps rooms were all connected by a shared rec room. It was spacious, if a little overly minimalistic, though that style was the norm in Atlas. Most of the Ops would unwind there after a long day, if they didn't retreat directly to their individual rooms. 

At the moment, Elm was sitting at one end of the huge couch centred in the room, arms stretched over the back as she watched TV. Harriet was poring through a book in a chair opposite the couch, flicking page over page far faster than any reasonable reading speed. Marrow tapped away on his scroll, though he was definitely watching the drama program on the TV out of the corner of his eye. 

Clover sat in another chair next to Harriet, outer vest draped over the armrest, absentmindedly scrolling through the news. With the election so close, most of the more interesting local stories were drowned out by the political intrigue. The mission to Amity today had been successful, without a single Grimm in sight. He would never wish unneeded difficulty on his teams during missions, but the day had been so devoid of activity Clover was considering heading to the training room for a few hours. At 6 in the evening, like a complete social shut-in. He enjoyed quiet time with the other Ops, but today he just wished for something more interesting.

_Ding!_

A notification slid into the corner of his scroll. Clover grinned as he tabbed over to his messages. Looked like he was a lucky guy after all.

_[Branwen, Q]: Any plans this evening?_

_[Ebi, C]: No, I'm free._

_[Branwen, Q]: The kids are all out with some other Atlas students, so I don't have any plans either. Got a tip for a good restaurant down in Mantle. Join me?_

Clover smiled at "the kids" as he typed his response.

_[Ebi, C]: Absolutely! I can be at the hanger in 10 minutes._

_[Branwen, Q]: Great, see you soon_

A twinge of excitement bubbled up in Clover as he stood and walked to his room. Qrow had joined him on a handful of trips to the coffee shop, but this was the first time Qrow had invited Clover out. He picked up Kingfisher from his desk and clipped it to his belt. It was nice to be asked. Outside of the Ops, Clover could hardly remember the last time he went out to share a nice evening with someone else. Walking back out to the common room, he announced, "I'm heading down to Mantle." He grabbed his vest from the chair and shrugged it on. "I'll be back later. Have a good evening everyone! You worked hard today, you deserve it." With a wave, he was out the door. 

~~~~~~~

Marrow waved back at Clover as the captain left the room. He wondered what had Clover leaving in such a hurry.

Hearing Harriet snicker, he looked over at his teammate. "What was that?"

"Oh nothing, just that I doubt Clover will be back tonight."

Marrow tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

"Because this is the third time this week he's gone out with Branwen, duh."

"Wait, how do you know that's who he's going to see? It could be anyone." His tail thumped against the back of the couch.

"It's obvious," Harriet said, finally looking up from her book. "Have you ever seen him like that before? He was practically skipping out the door. Just like when they went on those coffee dates last week."

Marrow gasped, "They're _dating_!?"

Harriet groaned and pressed her closed book against her face. "How oblivious are you?"

Elm interjected, an amused lilt to her voice, "You're right that he's gone to see huntsman Branwen, Harriet, but they're not dating. Captain definitely hasn't asked him yet. He's too shy."

"No way!" Harriet shoved the book down into her lap, leaning towards Elm with a glare. "Clover, shy? Nope. They're absolutely dating."

Elm just shook her head, the corner of her lips threatening a grin.

Harriet rolled her eyes. "I'll bet you twenty lien that Clover isn't back tonight. Branwen's not an idiot."

"You're right that Branwen isn't an idiot, but you might be. I'm going to be twenty lien richer later, thanks Hare!"

"We'll see about that!" Harriet smirked, opening her book once again.

Four episodes of Elm’s drama and one misguided game of cards between Harriet and Marrow later, the door slid open and Clover strolled in, a warm smile on his face. "Hey everyone."

Harriet gasped, but was able to quickly disguise it as a yawn. 

"Have a good time in Mantle, Captain?" Marrow asked. 

"Yeah, it was great! And I concur Harriet, I'm tired too." He walked towards his room as Harriet mildly protested that she wasn't actually tired. "Remember, another early call tomorrow. Good night, everyone."

A chorus of three 'good night's sounded before Clover closed his door. Marrow whipped his head back to Harriet, who was scowling as she dug into her pockets. 

"Can't believe it." She tossed a lien card to Elm, who caught it without removing her gaze from the TV. "Absolutely unbelievable."

"Nah," Elm laughed.

Marrow thought it was all a little silly, the speculating. Clover seemed really happy -- wasn't that the important thing?

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Qrow wound his way through the empty halls of Atlas Academy, hands in his pockets, shoulders hanging forward, and mind elsewhere. It was late, so the chance of running into anyone was slim. The quiet was a relief after escaping a room full of eight loud teenagers. 

As he had been leaving, telling the kids good night and not to stay up too late, Nora had called out, "Say hi to Clover for us!" A razor sharp glare at her had only caused half the room to burst out laughing. 

It hadn't been the first time. Upon his return from dinner with Clover a few days ago, Yang had asked him how his date had gone.

"Good, but it was dinner with a friend, Firecracker."

"Really?" she asked with an air of disbelief, eyebrow raised.

"Yes," he said firmly. 

And that wasn't even counting all of the looks he got from the whole crew as he and Clover left for their usual coffee run after briefings.

They were being nosy and overly speculative, which was completely normal for kids their age. Qrow knew that from personal experience. He couldn't be mad.

But the thought still weighed on him. He appreciated the kids being happy for him, but dating wasn't really a priority for him, what with a war and the end of the world on the horizon.

Even if the person in question was charming, considerate, a great leader, an incredible huntsman, and attractive as hell. Even if that person always looked out for the kids on missions, while still giving them the space to learn and improve their skills. Even if every time a warm smile, a boisterous laugh, or one of those Brothers-damned winks was aimed at Qrow he felt his heart skip a beat. 

Qrow sighed. It wasn't enough that the universe had hurled someone with a semblance perfectly opposing his own at him. No, Clover Ebi just had to check off each and every one of Qrow's boxes, didn't he?

He let himself wish, just a little, that the circumstances were different. That there wasn't a war, that Clover didn't have obligations to his military, and Qrow didn't have duties to the world. If things had been different, maybe he really would be pursuing Clover.

Something at the back of his mind, a shred of some emotion long battered and suppressed but newly re-growing, told him he was lying to himself. That he wasn't responding to Clover's obvious but respectful advances because he was afraid. That he always let his fear of hurting others control his actions. 

He could feel a downward spiral beginning to start, but it was quickly washed away as he stepped into one of the passageways connecting two of the Academy spires. The walls were all glass, giving Qrow a view of the expanse of Atlas stretched out below him. And the sky.

The sky above Atlas had come alive. Iridescent waves of verdant colour stretched across the sky, coiling and billowing and twisting to some invisible rhythm. Shafts of blue and violet light cascaded upwards from the coils of green and yellow, shimmering faintly in the night.

His walking slowed to a stop as he stared. The thick glass was certainly dulling the view of the celestial show, but Qrow was entranced all the same. His visits to Atlas were infrequent enough that he had only witnessed this sight a handful of times. 

He didn't know how much time he had spent gazing up at the lights when footsteps at the other end of the hall snapped him out of his trance. Clover Ebi stood a few feet away from him, hands on his hips and a smile on his face. "Hey Qrow."

"Hey," he nodded.

Clover gestured towards the show outside. "It's something else, isn't it?"

"Absolutely," Qrow glanced back out. "I usually manage to catch it at least once when I visit Atlas."

"Hm, lucky you."

He gave Clover a flat look, the moment suspended in time for a few seconds, before they both laughed. 

"You know," Clover said, "there's a place where the view is much better. I was just heading there now, care to join?"

Tendrils of hesitation wrapped around Qrow’s mind, as usual, but he pushed them off. "Sure."

They made their way back to the tower that housed the dormitories, riding the elevator to the top floor. Clover walked to the end of a hallway, Qrow trailing behind him, and pulled open a door that had "Restricted Access" painted on it in red.

"We allowed up here?" Qrow asked as they started to climb the stairs. 

"Not exactly," Clover said. He glanced back over his shoulder. "But I didn't think you'd mind breaking some rules."

Qrow laughed, "Of course not, but you? Atlas's golden boy? I'm just surprised."

Clover grinned as he reached the top of the stairs, "Golden only gets you so far, Qrow.”

The door opened up onto a tight observation deck around the top of the spire. A thin walkway was bordered by a chest-high chain fence on the outside, and the smooth wall of the spire on the inside. The lights were unobstructed out here, their splendour unfolded across the entire sky.

Qrow leaned against the fence, staring up at the softly folding curtains of brilliance, and Clover settled in next to him, their elbows brushing. 

"Thanks for bringing me up here," he said.

"No problem."

"Really is quite the view."

"It is." That was said softly, and Qrow could barely tell, out of the corner of his eye, that Clover wasn't looking up at the sky. That revelation stirred old feelings in his chest, and he decided to remain quiet.

They passed the next minutes in silence, watching the ribbons of light pass overhead. Finally, Qrow spoke again, "I'm pretty sure all the kids think we're dating." 

He glanced down to see Clover's eyes widened, fingers gripping the chain links. Letting out a nervous laugh, he replied, "Yeah, uh, there may be a betting pool among the other Ops."

Qrow laughed at that, leaning over the fence. It surprised him how comfortable he was, despite the subject. "Oh no, have I made someone lose money?"

"I mean you also helped someone gain money," Clover said, "so I think it's all fair in the end."

Chuckling, Qrow fidgeted with the rings on his fingers as the conversation paused. He could almost feel Clover taking a deep breath next to him, before the operative spoke. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. I never meant t-"

"Clover," Qrow interrupted, turning to face him. "You haven't, at all." He watched the tension ease out of the other man's shoulders. "Thanks for checking, but don't worry. I don't mind. At all."

"Oh," Clover breathed. It took a moment, but the air of confidence slid back quickly enough. He mirrored Qrow’s movement and turned more to face him. "Alright. I'm glad."

"The kids are just a little eager. And nosy."

"They'll match _so_ well with the Ops then," Clover said with a groan, which made Qrow laugh. 

"I actually..." Qrow paused, swallowing. "I've actually wanted to make sure that I'm not bothering you." Clover stilled next to him. "I love all the kids of course, but you know, they're teenagers. It's my job to look after them. And it's just been...a while since I've felt like I could unwind a bit with someone else, to just talk. But I don't want to burden you with all of my bagga-"

"Hey." Now it was Clover's turn to interrupt. The operative's casual demeanour was gone again, but instead of nervous energy, it was now replaced by serious, firm conviction. "You are not a burden, Qrow. Not to the teams, or your family. And not to me." 

There it was again, that feeling of Clover's words snaking through his carefully crafted armour. This time, Qrow let the feeling sit in his mind for longer. He didn't shut it out.

"I think I'm getting closer to believing you, Clover."

Eyes warm, the other man smiled. "Progress is progress."

The lights above were reflecting off the pin on Clover's chest, and his teal eyes were radiant. His hair was tousled slightly by a light breeze, and he was gazing at Qrow like no one else had before. A simple, quiet warmth bloomed in Qrow's heart.

 _Not yet_ , he thought. _Keep working on yourself. He deserves you when you're better, especially since he's been helping you. That kindness should be repaid by more than your own uncertainty._

"Once the Amity project is finished, how about we plan a nice night together. Dinner someplace fancy, maybe a show? Something more...formal?"

A spark of hope lit in Clover's eyes. "I'd love that."

"That doesn't mean I want to stop our little spontaneous moments like this. And I'll be going to that coffee shop until I die." He smiled at Clover's grin. "But I just...need a bit of time. The past few years have been a lot. There are still a few things I'm working out."

"I understand that, trust me. Whatever kind of time I'm spending with you, I know I'll enjoy your company."

They continued to watch the night sky dance by quietly, only occasionally commenting on the beauty of the lights, or on the missions for the next day. When they went back downstairs and parted ways, Qrow felt lighter than he had in ages.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3!
> 
> I was trying to come up with scenarios for this fic, when it occurred to me that Atlas is basically the Canada of Remnant and would totally have Northern Lights.


End file.
